Morning journal and courier., 1887-02-19
THE DAY AT HARTFORD.

mOr1al FaVOrably spoken OI-1he
 Shell Fish Commission Hearing HARTFORD, Feb. IS.
 Special to the JOURNAL COURIER:
 The lawmakers climbed Capitol hill in 8
 binding snow storm this morning and after
 a short session in the House descended the
 hill i'll the face of heavy rain storm. It was bad day for lawmaking or committee hear ings. Fridays have been set apart partly as day of rest for the Solons and but few of They prefer the hotel lobby or promenade on Main street, and many of them take an | early afternoon train for their homes. The lobbieA of the Capitol were almost entirely l deserted this afternoon. There was no Senate | to-day and barely quorum in the House. Speaker Hoyt was absent and things in gene | ral bore a dreary look. Next to the labor the committee on interpretations is the hardest | working body of men at present in the Capi- | tol. They held short session to-day, as did | the education committee. The interpretations | wrestled with the resolution surrendering 1 corporate franchise of the Third Congrega-
 tional society of New Haven. The education \ had in hand the resolution for a commission l to prepare uniform system of textbooks. This committee also had hearing on the bill concerning school attendance of children ! from eight to thirteen years of age.
 The railroad committee reported to the House to-day substitute bill regarding Sun day traffic. The committees report has been awaited with much interest by railroad men and the general public. The bill re- ported favorably on provides that no railroad company shall run any trains on Sundays be- tween the hours of 10 a. m. and p. m. on any of it's lines operating within the State except it be mercy or necessity. It also pro- vides that before 1O:30 o'clock in the fore noon and after o'clock in the afternoon the road may run trains carrying the United States mails and such other trains or classes of trains as may be authorized by the rail road commissioners on application that the
 same is required by their business or for the
 preservation of freight; also provides
 that no freight shall be handled un- less in the case of necessity,
 and that any company violating the
 above provisions shall be fined $250 and that
 all trains on Sunday the highest fares paid on week days must be charged and that no communication tickets, mileage tickets, or tickets procured at reduced rates will answer the passage. The penalty for violation of this section is fixed at $50 hne
 The House ordered the bill printed and tabled for calendar The section which provides for the full charge of fares is intended to
 prohibit the running of Sunday excursion
 trains. The committee had full and partial
 hearing on the matter said member to- day and finally decided on this substitute bill which think fully covers the f1. kl,1o o1,a 0f f1n hn- coming a law I cannot say. The Consolidat- ed Railroad company though their attorney the Hon. Henry o. Robinson certainly did not give much opposition. When MT. Rob inson appeared before the committee he told how he was of the opinion and he believed it correct that the Consolidated road would be glad to have legislation which would help them to do away with some of the Sunday trains. The New York newspaper trains in particular are big nuisance he said and the company would be glad to get rid of them as there is great danger 1n running them, not only to the rolling stock,
 but the attaches, as they arc run at an ex- ceedingly high rate of speed in the dark of the early morning. The bill we advocated, however, does not touch on these trains as the members thought to deprive themselves of their Sunday morning papers would be self-inflicted hardship, and as the trains dis turbs nc church worshippers why the rail roads will continue them.
 Senator Hill has plan for abolishing grade crossings which Is quite original 1n It's makeup. It is that all grade crossings be removed within two years. He thinks the basis of two-tenths of the expense to be borne by the State at large eouitable leaving two -tenths to be divided between town and county and six-tenths to be paid by the rail- roads, He would have the State undertake the work, issuing bonds to defray the ex- rense entire and providing sinking fund to meet them. The railroads, towns and counties would be required to the State every year in accordance with the suggestion that not less than two per cent. nor more than five per cent. of the crossings be abolished each twelve months. An important hearing will take place before the railroad committee March 16 on the methods of heating and lighting cars. In- ventors will be present to show model of their inventions. One of them from Boston will show model of steel car.
 Members of the House have been transact ! ing business slowly. They, however, laid the | blame to the clerk of bills. An investiga- | tion was demanded and a committee appoint 1 ed The gentlemen appointed to look into l the matter were Hurd, of Bristol, and Hyde, 1 of Hartford. They made their report to the | House to-day. It was to the effect that MT. | Case the clerk, was not to blame, but the l trouble lay with the members of the House |
 
 already disposed of it, was shown in | the report, was 179 and the | number of pieces received up to Feb 3, when | the influx of new business ceased was 7S5. | The new rule regarding earlier and more ire | quent inspections of measures by the clerk of | bills has of course occasioned some delay | but the slow work of the members of the | committees is also greatly to blame. MT. l Case it was shown is @ most efficient and l capable clerk. The House adopted the reso lution authorizing the Secretary of State to l expend $25 for a portrait of Speaker l Hoyt to adorn the Speakers room.
 The committee on interpretations made re- l ports to recommend on several minor mat l ters, among which was one incorporating the | Connecticut Bicycle club, also for incorpor- i ating the Shepaug road, the Litch6eld and l Northern railroad company, on resolution l appropriating $500 to the widow of George | Roberts, the clerk in the Secretary of States 1 office who died last year, and on resolution | appropriating S1 ,000 for memorial tablet l for the Seventeenth c. v. at East Hill ceme- | tery, Gettysburg.
 The nomination of Colonel Fenn for Su- | perior court judge was referred by the House | to the committee on the judiciary in concur | renee with the Senate. The committee on | railroads reported favorably on the report of ! the Fair Haven and Westville horse railroad | company, which shows the receipts of the | year to have been $91 ,461.27 and the expen- dltureS S64, ,S2U.S4. IL was oruereu OH JIG III Il the Secretary of States office.
 "Mr. Henry L.. Goodwin has stirred up | commotion among the Consolidated people" said senator today, "and I really have | faith in what he says. As near as I can learn from my brother senators they believe | it is an excellent thing, this work of MT. | Goodwins. It is safe to say that MT. Good | win will devote himself with untiring energy l to exposing many things concerning the road | which he believes are not correct. The | friends of the road will of course make big | endeavor to have the memorial put off, but I | think that this time at least the indefatigable | Goodwin hrs got case"
 The hearing on the bill abolishing the | shell fish commission will take place next l Wednesday. Oyster dealers throughout the | State have been giving much thought to the | matter The bill was presented by citizens | end taxpayers of various towns of the State. | The original petition, however, is said to I have started in Greenwich and then spread | throughout the shore towns. The aim of | the bill is to reduce the expense to the State | now incurred by the shell fish commission | from $14,OOO per year to $3,000 or $4,000. |
 LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
 G.